part of my morning routine includes drinking a mug full of warm lemon-ginger water each day. years ago i had been told that drinking lemon water in the morning helps aid the digestive process for the day, helps to boost the immune system, and aids in the cleansing of the liver to boot. for me, starting my day off like this has been a way to balance and maintain a healthy and more cleansed system. after all that birthday celebrating last month, and eating foods with more sugar than i'm used to, i began incorporating grated ginger into my lemon water for its anti-inflammatory properties. i began thinking of ways to incorporate these two flavor powerhouses into things i eat regularly and with autumn here, granola seemed like a good candidate.

store-bought granola isn't usually my jam, but when i make it at home you can be sure that i down it by the handful. for years i've made heidi's granola from her cookbook, Super Natural Everyday, and i have to say that it is my favorite by far! granola is one of those things that lends itself to so many flavor varieties that it's hard to nail down which are your favorite. i'm usually a fan of granola that's low on the dried fruit, high on nuts and seeds, and sweetened slightly with a touch of salt. ideally, the texture is always crunchy, but here i decided to add more crunch, and dare i say pop (!), to this granola with the inclusion of puffed quinoa. while i never found the puffed version of quinoa in any health stores or grocery stores in brooklyn or the city, i did manage to find them online here . i highly recommend this puffed version, as it has been making its way into just about anything and everything i can think of. in any event, the ginger and lemon combination was pretty spot on and is a new staple in our household.

ginger + lemon zest granola w/ puffed quinoa - GF + V

if you do not have puffed quinoa on hand, substitute puffed brown rice or 1 cup rolled oats. if using ground ginger, reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon and taste to adjust to your liking.

| makes about 5 cups |

ingredients

3 cups gluten free rolled oats

1 1/2 cups puffed quinoa

1 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

zest of one large lemon

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup raw honey

instructions

preheat oven to 300° and line two rimmed baking trays with parchment

in a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, puffed quinoa, almonds, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. once mixed, add the lemon zest and fresh grated ginger, mix until combined - about a minute

in a microwave-safe bowl, heat the honey until warm and runny - 20-30 seconds. add the coconut oil and let it rest until melted

add the honey mixture to the oat mix and stir thoroughly until combined - about 1 minute

divide the granola between the two baking trays and spread in a thin layer. bake, for 35-45 minutes. stir the granola a couple of times until toasted and golden. (you may want to rotate pans top to bottom to make sure the granola is cooking evenly.)

remove from oven. let the granola cool completely (this allows the granola to get all clumpy!) once cooled break up the granola into chunks and store in an airtight container at room temp

sprinkle on yogurt or fresh fruit, eat as cereal with some almond milk. it can also be used to top fruit crumbles, or eaten dry as a snack. enjoy!